A day in the sun? Or down in the dumps? Jack Nicholson wasn't supposed to be Batman's Joker, says Brad Dourif (right)

Brad Dourif, not Jack Nicholson, was Tim Burton's first choice to play The Joker in 1989's Batman, according to the star of Lord of the Rings and the Child's Play movies.

Dourif is a character actor who has popped up in genre fare such as Alien: Resurrection and was Billy Bibbit opposite Nicholson in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. He broke the story to reporters at New York's Comic Con at the weekend. Speaking at a Q&A to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the original 1988 Child's Play horror flick, Dourif revealed that studio Warner Bros scuppered his chances to play The Joker despite Burton's efforts.

"Tim Burton saw me on a plane and wanted to cast me and they [studio Warner Bros] said no," said the actor, who has played evil doll Chucky in six Child's Play films. He joked: "He [Nicholson] takes all my roles."

Brad Dourif dances in the background of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest Photograph: Moviestore Collection / Rex Features

Dourif and Burton have never worked together, though the director is also reported to have wanted the former for the role of The Scarecrow in his aborted second sequel to Batman. The character was dropped when Joel Schumacher took over directing duties on the film that became 1995's Batman Forever and did not re-emerge until Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins reboot a decade later, when he was portrayed by Irish actor Cillian Murphy.

Dourif portrayed the slimy Grima Wormtongue in Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. He was Oscar-nominated for his portrayal of Bibbit in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, for which Nicholson won best actor in 1976.